Rose Cut Stones

The 'Rose' is one of the oldest examples of a cut stone and originates from the mid-sixteenth century. They are also known as the 'Antwerp Rose' and 'Dutch Cut' along with a number of other names. Nearly all Rose cut stones were mounted with a reflective foil back in an attempt to reflect some light through the crown – most came from Belgium. The most basic Rose cuts have three or six facets; this increased to 24 with the final iteration of the Rose cut – the 'Full Rose Cut'. They were mostly cut in Amsterdam which had taken over from Antwerp as the diamond centre of the world. Most Rose cuts tend to draw a little bit of colour. Diamonds were inspected by candlelight – slightly yellowish or greyish stones glowed warmly and were therefore appealing.

Today, the majority of Rose cut stones will be found in seventeenth and eighteenth century antique jewellery. When brilliant cut stones became popular in the late nineteenth century, jewellers started buying up Rose cuts in order to have them recut into the more popular brilliant. As a result, good Rose cuts are very hard to come by.